Mingo County, WV Crime News

Mingo County, WV Crime News

DETECTIVE KILLED
Baldwin detectives John Van Hoose and George Dameron were called to Breeden, in Mingo county, on Sunday to arrest Gid Marcum, a young man of 21, and a member of a well known and highly respected family. Marcum was charged with the robbery of a number of the Norfolk & Western who were working at that point, and no sooner had Van Hoose placed him under arrest than he whirled about, drawing his pistol and shooting the detective through the head, killing him instantly and firing four more bullets into his prostate body.
Detective Dameron immediately opened fire on Marcum, who fell, pierced by nine bullets, any one of which would have caused his death.
Dameron immediately surrendered to the Mingo county authorities.
Van Hoose was known as a fearless man, and despite the fact that he was but 35 years of age, had the record of having taken the lives of several men in the discharge of his duties as a detective and special officer.
[Raleigh Register Beckley, WV, 21 Dec 1911 - submitted by Nancy Hannah]